This invention relates to a method for transporting solid blocks by crushing into smaller solid particles and a crusher adapted therefore.
It is known to transport solid materials by means of a pressurized liquid, such as water or slurry, through a pipe. Such a method is widely used in a slurry shield method for constructing a tunnel by excavating the earth. In the slurry shield method, a steel tubular frame is used to sustain the earth pressure while the nose of the tube is equipped to excavate the earth, wherein a slurry is circulated under pressure for the stabilization of the area to be cut by an excavator and simultaneously for enabling transport of muck or excavated solid materials as a fluid mixture. In order to enable the effective circulation of the slurry, it has been required to separate or remove large solid blocks in the muck mixed in the slurry being piped out. Because, the large solid blocks in the excavated muck will clog the transportation pipe, whereby the circulation of the slurry becomes impossible. On the other hand, if a transportation pipe having a larger diameter is used to enable the transportation of the large solid blocks, a pressurizing pump for the transportation pipe will become bigger and facilities for transportation of the solid blocks will become huge.
Accordingly, it has been a normal procedure to once classify and remove the large solid blocks from the transportation line and to continuously transport only the classified small solid particles through a transportation pipe together with the liquid. The removed large solid blocks are crushed into smaller solid particles in the air, which are again introduced into the transportation line or pipe for piping out.
However, in such a known method which requires to crush the large solid blocks into smaller particle size in the air, there caused some problems such as spattering of the dust, noise of crushing and the like. Further, it has been troublesome to remove the large solid blocks from the transportation line for crushing into smaller particles and to introduce them again into the transportation line. In addition, in order to classify and remove the large solid blocks contained in the liquid and to continuously transport only the separated small solid particles, it has been required to use additional equipments such as rotary classifier.